It has been quite a while since I last posted. Elizbeth is now walking!! She officially started walking on February 27th at the age of fifteen months, and a few days later on March 15th she started walking 'all the time' as opposed to as a bit of a novelty! We bought her some reins a couple of days ago, she now has some wellies, and she's been out in the garden, out for a walk around the block, and today out to the local park to play on the slide/climbing frame for the first time.
I was having a really difficult time of things - the constant 'battle of wills' was endlessly exhausting, but things have picked up. She started nodding for yes in mid-March so can now communicate so much better what she wants. We still have mini-tantrums when she can't have what she wants, but we are being quite firm: cot toys don't come downstairs, shoes aren't worn in the house, all food/drink when seated...
She has learend to 'cuddle' me on the way to her bedroom after her last feed of the day which is lovely. She rests her head on my shoulders, and increasingly wraps her arms around my neck and taps my back. She gives kisses as and when she feels like it, but has been kissing my finger better all week because she thinks it is sore and must hurt (tap head with hand to indicate hurt).
She can recognise most of the words on her wooden alphabet abacus: train, octopus, star (of course!), rat (which she confuses with her changing mat), plate, ball, cat, doll, frog, house, vase, lorry, umbrella...
Nappy changes are slightly less fraught when she can be distracted with the above toy. I am waiting for a shipment of toddler-sized (70cm square) nappies which should also make times a little less trying.
On Saturday we had our first 'proper' day out - we went to the SeaLife centre in Birmingham as an Easter treat, followed by lunch in Pizza Express. Elizabeth sat in a really whizzy seat on a dining chair, and ate a nice portion of pasta with tomato and herb sauce. She had her usual yoghurt, satsuma and raisin and rice cake, followed by some of my vanilla ice cream and garnish strawberries. We had a bit of an episode trying to change her nappy in the car on our home-ward bound visit to Fort Dunlop (couldn't believe there were no baby change facilities), then went to Ikea where she had her smoothie, before arriving home tired but happy for tea.
Her routine now is generally up at 7am. She brings her collection of toys through and breastfeeds from both sides for a couple of minutes. I then wash and dress her, and try to have my shower, and we go down for breakfast any time between 8am and 9am. She often has a morning snack at around 10-10.30, and we try to do our morning activities (e.g. group on Tuesday, shopping, visiting people etc) before lunch which is around 12. After lunch she sleeps for a couple of hours, waking at around 3.30pm-4.00pm, and she then has a smoothie, tea at 6pm and bed at around 7-7.30pm.
I can't remember what words she can say now - she loves babies (ba) and cats (dat) and loves it when she spots something (e.g. a cat) in a book - 'he's tha' sort of sound. She can now say 'bye bye' - sort of 'baba' and if we say it is nappy time she responds with 'do do do do' as in Hammer Time! She often says "Mum" out of the blue, and shouts for 'Da' all the time. She sits and reads her books all the time, and still loves 'exercise time' when she says 'down' at the sight of the DVD, my exercise clothes, or tins of tomatoes which I used as weights before being bought a proper set for my birthday.
I've been doing my regular exercises every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday night since the beginning of the year, and although not noticeable lighter in weight do feel better. I had a chiropractor appointment earlier in the month, and need some further work to my pelvis, but all in all things look to be on target to start trying for a second baby in May (May 9th to be precise). I'm looking into doulas, and hypnobirthing, and have been posting questions on Mumsnet left right and centre to try to come to terms with my labour/birth experience. I've been reading Birth Skills - legs for labour, stress balls, breathing etc... Hoping to arm myself with enough information, practical skills and knowledge to hopefully have a more successful time of it second time around.
